Refugee Cities exists to expand the options of displaced people by promoting special-status settlements in which they can engage in meaningful, dignifying, and rewarding work, thereby providing for their families and contributing to the economic and social development of their hosts and homelands.

Refugee Cities has been reorganized as the SDZ Alliance, which is responding to the complex challenges connected with desperate migration and rapid urbanization through “sustainable development zones” (SDZs). SDZs are the next evolution in refugee cities — new urban communities with special legal and administrative institutions that further sustainable development.

The refugee cities concept is also being carried out on the ground by Politas Consulting, which helps governments develop special jurisdictions that incubate beneficial reforms.